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A Study of infant mortality and causes of death in a rural north-east Brazilian community

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Patricia Bailey
Affiliation:
Family Health International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Amy Ong Tsui
Affiliation:
Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Barbara Janowitz
Affiliation:
Family Health International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Rosalie Dominik
Affiliation:
Family Health International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Lorena Araujo
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil

Summary

In 1984 a prospective study of 1645 women and 1677 births in a rural community in north-eastern Brazil showed the infant mortality rate to be 65 per 1000 live births. Neonatal, post-neonatal and infant mortality are analysed to determine the most important risk factors for each period. Post-neonatal survival depends largely on factors relating to child care, while neonatal deaths are more likely to be associated with biological factors. The principal cause of death, diarrhoeal disease, was responsible for a third of the deaths.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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